Hearing the girl's greeting, I couldn't help but study her appearance.
She had a cute face, but her slightly short eyebrows, the pair of sharp golden eyes beneath them, and her confident, cheerful smile gave her a surprising air of determination.
Her black hair seemed slightly curled, with two strands hanging down in front of a red shirt whose top button was undone. Over it, she wore a white lab coat so oversized it nearly reached the ground.
Below, she wore black shorts pulled up so high that the hem of her shirt was tucked in; even the red lining peeked out from the shorts. Below that were slender, smooth legs, and she wore sandals that boldly exposed her youthful toes.
On her head were a pair of sharp horns, with long, gray-black tails flat like sea snakes. Their ends were bright red and pointed like spears, with a small flag bearing the Gehenna school emblem hanging from the color gradient.
First impressions. She was a Gehenna student I didn't recognize.
I noticed a symbol on the left chest of her shirt, some variation of the Gehenna emblem that seemed vaguely familiar.
"Yaa∼yaa∼" the petite girl spoke with curiosity. "Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?"
"No… do you know me?"
The girl answered calmly, "Nope, I don't. But they say a meeting is fate, right? Especially under circumstances like this! Now, I do know you! Hahaha!"
From her cheerful laughter, I judged that she wasn't a fan of mine, just someone who was naturally sociable and forward.
Perhaps she had fallen for me at first sight, eager to get acquainted. The next step might even be exchanging names and contact info.
"I'm Kinugawa Kasumi. And you?"
SAUCE
As expected, the small Gehenna student laughed heartily, then voluntarily introduced herself.
I didn't dislike such initiative, so I replied, "Hello, Kasumi. I'm your sensei from Schale. Nice to meet you."
"…Huh? Schale is… the Schale from the General Student Council?"
Kasumi raised an eyebrow, stepped closer, and studied me carefully. "Whoa… so you're that sensei? Hahaha! How rude of me! Come on, let's shake hands!"
So she had indeed been captivated by my charm.
After shaking hands through the sleeve of her lab coat, she eagerly asked, "Sensei, what brings you here at this time? As far as I know, this area is sealed off tonight under a curfew. Our school's atmosphere is pretty free, but with a battle this intense, ordinary students wouldn't dare come near. I heard a third-party force got involved… are you part of that?"
I paused, sighed, and gazed into her golden eyes. "Since you already know it's a battle, you might want to warn your own club members."
At this point, anyone failing to react would be foolish.
The rather overly familiar girl in front of me was most likely the one Kayoko had told me to keep an eye on. She was probably the head of the Hot Spring Development Department, or at the very least a high-ranking member.
"Hahaha!" Kasumi laughed again. "So you recognized me already? I do consider myself somewhat famous, but when you heard my name, you didn't seem to know much. Hmm… did someone mention me? Interesting. But if you understood quickly, that saves time."
I reminded her, "I'm somewhat of a notable figure myself, you know."
"Oh, I don't know you, and I don't know the 'Schale sensei' either. I only heard from my members that there was an adult mixed in with those Trinity students causing trouble, so I came to take a look."
Ah, so she inferred this from my recent involvement with Trinity.
"By the way, even I can't completely control my members. After all, we're a group united by our love for hot springs! Hahaha!"
"I see…" I nodded. "Anyway, what's up? Why did you look for me?"
"Oh, I said it's just a coincidence."
Kasumi waved her map. "I was looking for a hot spring spot and got lost. Mm, the marked location on the map is inaccurate, stuff like that happens! I just wish someone could point me in the right direction."
Why not use an app for that?
Pressed for time, I was about to politely refuse, but then a thought struck me. I changed my approach: "Where exactly are you headed?"
"Ah… it's a pretty remote place…" Kasumi looked at me meaningfully. "Gehenna District, District 15th, 77th Street."
I suddenly laughed.
Although I wasn't very familiar with the Gehenna District, I knew this address.
"What a coincidence," I said. "I happen to be going there myself."
"Oh? Then we're on the same route?"
We laughed and chatted as we walked out of the alley together.
"By the way, the tip about this hot spring spot came from an anonymous benefactor. They even added an extra donation to support our excavation work. I was moved by their enthusiasm myself!"
Kasumi mentioned this casually.
Probably suspicious of some trick, she came in person.
"Interesting… though I have some business there too. I hope it won't cause conflicts."
"Is that what you are worried about? Hehe, do not worry." Kasumi smiled as she assured me. "We absolutely will not yield to you."
I paused, unsure if I'd heard correctly or if she misspoke.
Kasumi gave me a curious glance. "What's wrong? Didn't hear me? If you expect us to wait or give up, that won't happen."
Her tone was calm but resolute, leaving no room for argument.
At that moment, I wanted to ask why she acted like this. She had already figured out that someone was using her and her club to target me and the Make-Up Work Club, even sought me out to explain the situation, yet she still insisted on this stance.
"Hahaha! Don't be mad, it cannot be helped." Kasumi laughed brightly. "Knowing that the hot spring spot is right there, even I cannot hold myself back, let alone my club members. There is no room for negotiation on this."
In other words, Nagisa's move was a completely open scheme.
When it came to matters related to hot spring development, the Hot Spring Development Department would not yield a single step. But they were willing to inform me of the truth. That was probably what Kasumi meant.
Just as I was thinking that.
"However," Kasumi suddenly changed her tone. A hint of mischief surfaced in her smile, her eyes glinting. "It is not entirely absolute."